Disclaimer: Check first chapter for full disclaimer and other warnings.

Chapter 2 – Recovery and friends

Feelings, returning little by little.

Consciousness.

A voice near him.

His bed, crispy sheets.

The voice, he knew this voice.

"...and Ron doesn't know of this, even if Hermione suspects something and I swear that if you don't wake up at some point, Harry, I'll never forgive..."

His hand was held by the softest thing, yet very wet also.

His bed? Crispy sheets? Smell of healing draught permeating the air? The hospital wing?

He groaned, eliciting a yelp from the voice. He opened his eyes to see the blurry Hospital wing – again – and the face of Ginny Weasley near his. Very near. So near he doesn't need glasses to see the tears on her freckles, even in the dark. Dark?

"You're awake!" Ginny sounded relieved. "Oh Harry, what did you do this time? Why are you always charging into danger? Dumbledore just told the rest that you were hurt and tired from the Chamber..." she trembled at the evocation of the place where she nearly died.

Harry tried to utter a sound, but only a croak emerged from his throat. Ginny smiled weakly through her tears, and prepared him a glass of water from the bed table. During her actions, Harry watched her intensely, and she almost fainted when his hand touched hers involuntarily, when he took the proffered glass. He drank a little, coughed, and drank some more. She handed him his glasses.

"Thanks." he said.

"It's me that should thank you, Harry. But what did you do after the... the Chamber? You were not that hurt when we got out of it! I was awaken by a nightm... by a sound and couldn't sleep so I borrowed your invisibility cloak and came to talk to you. They say that even unconscious, you can hear the people around you." Harry's dad had left his invisibility cloak for him, and it had been returned to him by owl post on his first year. It was the artefact he and his friends had used the most to explore at night.

So, her nightmare was explaining the dark, since she had woken up and awakened him up at night time. Memory came back slowly, and he suddenly opened his eyes wide, inspected his own body and seemed to be in awe that it was not broken. He then watched around the room frantically. "Malfoy! Is Malfoy..."

"Shhhh, Harry. Nobody's here, but if you speak too loud, Madam Pomfrey will hear." Again, the softness against his hand. He watched, mesmerized, as it was due to her hand holding his. He had never felt something like that in his whole life. His friends had been friendly, and his Headmaster understanding, but this was more than that. It tugged to a subconscious part of him that was buried under years of neglect from his relatives, and it made him cry. He suddenly wanted to turn away from her, as his relatives always considered his tears like an insult, and he didn't want Ginny to feel insulted, especially by him. However, unable to let him go and somewhat feeling his unease, Ginny took hold of him, and hugged him like she would do any ill brother. They had shared painful experiences beyond anything people they age usually lived, and they were alive. They could understand each other.

After a few minutes, his tears mingled to hers on their shirts, they separated.

"Thanks, Ginny. Nobody..." but he stopped, wary of was he almost said. But it was too late, as her head shot up.

"What?"

"Nothing."

She started to understand the missing sentence, and it opened an avenue of new thoughts concerning Harry Potter. But she didn't press Harry on this subject, yet. There would be plenty of time when he would get out of the wretched infirmary. They stayed in companionable silence, holding hands, until Ginny broke it again. "Harry?"

"Mmm?" He was closing his eyes again.

"What were you saying about Malfoy?"

Startled, and wide awake now, Harry looked at her. "Is he... Do you... I mean... The papers?" This did not make any sense and he knew it. Collecting his thoughts, he asked "Do you have news about Malfoy?"

She looked at him inquisitively and answered "He got called at his home and left the school two days ago."

That hadn't been not the answer he expected, as he wanted information about Lucius, to see if he was dead or not. But her answer threw that thought process through the window.

"Two days?" He looked around him. Obviously, they were alone, but he hadn't noticed before that it meant that the petrified students were healed. "How long... How..." he didn't seem to be able to formulate the question, again.

"Harry, we escaped the Chamber a week ago, but Dumbledore told everybody that you were still recovering from your wounds there. Ron is oblivious to this because... well... I'm alive, and Hermione doesn't know what I know. But I don't know what happened after. I mean, you were not unconscious all that time. I should know, I was..." She stopped suddenly, paling, and lowered her head.

Harry removed his hand from hers, and took hold of her chin to raise it, and their eyes met.

"Are you okay, Ginny?"

She considered the question for a few seconds, before answering. "I'm fine, now."

They stayed in this situation for a few minutes, looking each other in the eyes, not fully understanding what was happening to them, until Harry broke the silence once more.

"I'll tell you. Sit here, you'll be better than staying on your knees; and it is a long story." He patted the bed next to him, and moved slightly to make place.

She hesitantly sat next to him, blushing again. After all, she had developed quite a crush on Harry Potter some years ago, when her mother used to read bedtimes stories about the Boy-Who-Lived. But she quickly forgot about her position when he told his tale. That took some time, during which she successively lived through the emotions he recounted. Then, Ginny updated him on the current stories in the school, especially the Headmaster's story about Harry recovery. Harry did not even know how he appeared on this bed, but he knew that his recovery had nothing to do with the basilisk's bite; Fawkes had made sure of that by healing him in the Chamber. They didn't even know if Dumbledore knew the true story of what had happened at Malfoy Manor, so they decided to keep the real story for themselves until they know the Headmaster's view on it.

Afterwards, they discussed about their memories from the elapsed year and their past. Harry had never felt so open to anyone, and Ginny was dumbfounded to discover the dark part of his past. He did not tell everything, of course, not wanting to attract pity or commiseration. For example, he did not tell her that his relatives locked him up for days without food. He did not tell her that his uncle did beat him frequently, yelling that all his problems were Harry's fault. He was feeling so shameful for his past that he couldn't tell everything at once. Besides, he was learning about Ginny, too: how the passenger seat of her own mind was quite uncomfortable, for example. Especially when Voldemort was driving. She even told him, blushing, that her mother had been telling her stories about him since she was old enough to remember, and probably even before.

When they finished talking, several hours later, the sun was rising and lighting the wing with promises for a new day. They had made themselves comfortable at one point, and were now lying face to face on the bed. Still tired from his wounds, Harry went to sleep at some point while holding hands with her, a smile on his face. As Madam Pomfrey was going to be up soon, Ginny got up, looked at him, removed his glasses to put them on the nightstand and, without understanding herself, kissed him on the cheek. Even in his slumber, his smile widened, and he mumbled "Gin..."

Blushing, but happy like never before, she fastened the invisibility cloak around her, and threw a last glance to Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Boy-She-Had-A-Crush-On, the Boy-Who-Saved-Her, and now the Boy-She-Might-Love. Even if they were both young, their feelings towards each other were blossoming into something which outweighed the relationship between each of them towards their respective friends. Then she was gone.

Same place, the next day...

Harry didn't wake up for most of the following day, but the smile Madam Pomfrey found on his face that morning gave away some clues about his recovery, and in the late afternoon, when he stirred from the remains of his sleep, there were some people around him almost instantly.

"Good afternoon, Harry."

Harry tried to raise, startled, but the wrinkled hand of his Headmaster gently pushed him back in his pillows, and gave him his glasses.

"Shh, shh, you are still feeble and recovering. Don't exert yourself, you slept the whole week."

Harry was not quite agreeing, as he was feeling quite well. Strangely, he felt better and stronger after the prolonged visit to the Hospital wing, but he put that on the draughts' account. He also figured that the Headmaster was not aware of Ginny's previous visit. Or was he? Nobody could figure the extent of knowledge behind the old man's twinkling eyes. Now that he had his glasses on, able to take a good look around, he also noticed the persons accompanying his Headmaster: Madam Pomfrey, Professors McGonagall and Snape, Fawkes the phoenix perched on his nightstand, his friends Ron and Hermione, and Ginny behind Hermione. She seemed flustered to be so far from him, but they could not lie in bed like the previous night in front of everyone, could they? Everybody looked relieved though even, strangely, Professor Snape, who was not wearing his trademark scowl now.

"Errrm... Hi?" Harry said tentatively.

His friend Hermione was the first to react, launching herself on him, disturbing the nightstand and Fawkes, who trilled indignantly. She enveloped him in a hug that, would it not be broken by Madam Pomfrey, would have been dangerous to Harry's health. "Harry, you got us so concerned, after that Basilisk bite, you had to recover, but you spent the whole week unconscious..."

"Relax, Mione" Harry interrupted, and raised his arms to hug her too "I'm alright, see?"

Ron approached after Hermione, displaying less but feeling at least as much as her. He shook his friend's arm and, in a shaking voice, said "Good to see you up and about, mate... I mean... not up yet, but..."

Harry gently laughed at his friend discomfort "Not a problem, Ron. In fact, I'm sure I can get up if you people did not restrain me down." This elicited a giggle from Ginny, quickly stifled when he turned towards her.

"And how are you doing now, Ginny?" He asks with a twinkle of his own in his eyes.

"Better, thanks." she says demurely.

Ron laughed at her attitude, reminiscing about Ginny's previous reactions to Harry's presence. He didn't know that it was simulated, and pushed her towards Harry. "Go sis, hug him too, Merlin knows you want it."

Ginny hugged Harry gently for a few seconds and when they separated, they both seemed to speak with their eyes. Madam Pomfrey started to speak but Harry was lost in Ginny's hair scent and did not notice.

"I'm sorry?"

Poppy repeated. "I'd like to give you some more potions now that you are awake, and you will have to spend the remaining week in bed to adjust to them."

"A week?"

"Yes."

"But..."

"No but, young man, you were unconscious for a week, and your magic was exhausted, you have to recover properly now."

"I'm fine!"

"No you are not!"

Harry was feeling tied down now and, angrily, he demanded "How do you know?"

During this quick exchange, Harry's friends chuckled about it. It was well known that Harry did not like spending his time in the Hospital wing, as he was already visiting it on a regular basis. And it was also well-known that Poppy Pomfrey was stubborn to keep her charges in bed.

"Very well then, we'll see that." the Hospital matron answered and, after drawing her wand, started to cast several spells. She frowned.

"What?" almost everyone was looking at her at that point, and her frown was not lost.

She didn't answer, though, and continued to mutter spells, but it seemed to Harry that it was the same incantation, at least two more times after the first. She then looked at her wand in disbelief for a second, and stored it away.

"What is it, Poppy?" the Headmaster enquired.

She snorted, and said "He's alright, only hungry. It's strange that..."

As if on cue, Harry's stomach grumbled and everyone laughed, except the two severe Heads of House, whose smirks were significantly more than either of them generally showed towards their students.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't deterred, though. "You will still spend the night here, Harry, and if you are fine tomorrow morning, you'll take breakfast with everyone."

Harry reflected for half a second. "Fair enough. Deal?"

"Deal." answered Madam Pomfrey before realizing that she just struck a deal with her charge, thus sounding her equal, whereas she generally had the upper hand on everything happening in her ward. Huffing, even if in a humorous way, she turned heels and went back to her apartment. "I'll be in there if you need me. You lot," she said, turning to point to Harry's friends "make sure you leave before curfew."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey. Thank you." they answered, almost at the same time. Satisfied that she hadn't lost her authority to students other than Harry, she left the room.

Albus Dumbledore approached Harry "I'll ask for a house-elf to bring your evening meal here, Harry. Rest well, and we'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Headmaster, professor McGonagall."

McGonagall's lips curved in a tiny smile and she nodded. "Good evening Mr Potter".

"Thanks, Fawkes." Harry said as the phoenix flew to the Headmaster's shoulder and trilled from there.

Snape looked at Harry intently and, approaching his side, took a potion out of his pocket. "This is a Dreamless Sleep draught, Potter. Drink it after your meal, so that you'll sleep well tonight. I don't want you making mistakes tomorrow, do I?" At that, Ron looked towards Hermione and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Professor." Harry said, stunned, as the last adults left the room.

As soon as Snape was out of earshot, Ron muttered "Blimey, he has a way of crawling into my skin..."

Quick as a snitch, Harry answered "Like a spider, Ron?"

Ron paled "Don't even mention it! Never again!"

Everyone else laughed, though.

Calmed, Ron was still going on "I still think the greasy git was..."

"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione interrupted. "That was kind of him to give Harry the potion, and..."

Ron cut her "If it is even the good one! He could poison Harry!"

Harry took the potion, lifted the lid and sniffed, then closed it, putting it back on the nightstand. He smiled. "No it's the good one."

"How do you know? Since when are you an expert in potions?"

"Since I drink so much of them around this room, Ron. I know this one."

"Still..." Ron started, but he was interrupted by Ginny, who was sitting on the bed and had taken Harry's hand in hers. "Professor Snape is less a git than he was before" she said absently.

"But... how do you know... what are you doing holding hands?"

Hermione snorted "He's recovering, Ron. If you had eyes, you'd see that I, too, am holding his hand. And Ginny's right about Professor Snape. Last lesson, he didn't call me a know-it-all," she blushed, before continuing, "and he didn't remove points to Gryffindor, even when Neville clanked his cauldron on the table."

"I'd be happy if it stays that way." Harry said from the bed and, turning to Ron, added "And, mate, if I had one more hand, you could hold it for sure, but I thought you didn't swing that way?"

Ron blushed suddenly and stuttered briefly before realizing he had been had. "Nah, sure." and his stomach agreed, making everyone laugh. "Well, Harry, we'll go now. I'm starving and I hope your meal will be here shortly. Rest well, mate."

"Yes, Harry. No more night exploring now." Hermione sternly added, while Ron, behind her, rolled his eyes. Harry was sometimes sure that Hermione had the ability to channel her Transfiguration Professor.

"Ginny?" asked Ron to his sister, who was still holding Harry's hand.

"I'll stay with Harry for a few minutes, go forward."

"I'm sure Harry is well and doesn't need a kid keeping him company right now, right mate?"

"I'm not a kid anymore," she answered with a dangerous edge in her voice "and we will talk for a bit."

"Ron, come on. Meal is ready." Hermione interjected, obviously sensing one of Ron's big-mouthed troubles coming, and trying to lure him outside using his stomach. It generally worked fine.

"Right, right. I'm starving. But why is she staying?"

She pushed him through the infirmary doors, with a last glance to Harry and Ginny, who were talking, oblivious to them.

"Shh, Ron. Surely they want to talk about the Chamber and..." the rest was lost to the pair still in the ward, but they weren't listening anyway.

"I'm not staying long now, but I can go back tonight if you want me to..." Ginny started, suddenly unsure of herself, and looking at the floor.

"I'd like that, Gin."

She didn't look up immediately, frowning, and removed her hand from his. Harry began to think he did upset her, but she went straight to the nightstand that had been disturbed by Hermione earlier, and picked up a book from the floor.

"What is this?"

"I don't know, you found it..." Harry started, but suddenly remembered the book from Malfoy's library, and gasped. She turned towards him, curious.

"I took it from there, from Malfoy..."

"It is surely evil then" she exclaimed and dropped it suddenly. Her experience with evil books was too recent for her to pick it up again, even when Harry tried to placate her.

"I think not, it felt good when I did hold it."

"The d... diary felt good also, at the beginning." she started to cry. "Promise me you'll be careful? Extra-careful?" She looked up at him, and there was such worry and protectiveness in her eyes that he was lost for a moment, before silently agreeing. On the spot, Harry promised himself not to joke about books and diaries with her, for a long time. He brought his hand to her face, wiping her tears with his thumb. She whimpered at his contact and closed her eyes.

"I'll be fine, Gin. I'll be careful." Some more minutes passed. "When do you want to come tonight?" he whispered.

"Around nine, I think. I'll pretend going early to bed, and I'll lock my bed curtains before coming here with your cloak. You're not annoyed for me to use it? I recall it was your dad's?"

"Yes it was, but you can use it all the same. You should go to the Great Hall, or Ron will pound me."

"Yes, that insensitive prat." she smiled.

"See you at nine then."

"Yes." she answered softly, seeming not to move for some seconds, then leaving the ward quietly.

To be continued in next chapter: The Legacy...

O, young love, untarnished,
O, our Lord, unblemished,
We shall hope they continue
But for that, I'd like review.